I am grateful for what I have, instead of craving what I don’t!

Ecclesiastes 6:7-9 NLT
All people spend their lives scratching for food, but they never seem to have enough. So are wise people really better off than fools? Do poor people gain anything by being wise and knowing how to act in front of others? Enjoy what you have rather than desiring what you don’t have. Just dreaming about nice things is meaningless—like chasing the wind.

I am grateful for what I have, instead of craving what I don’t!

I remind myself that every good thing I have came from God!

James 1:16-17 NLT
So don’t be misled, my dear brothers and sisters. Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.

I will not let what I want rob me of enjoying what I have!

Philippians 4:11-13 NIV
I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

I will constantly celebrate what I’ve already been given!

Psalm 103:2-5 NIV
Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits (blessings)—who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

Instead of dreaming about what you don’t have, enjoy what you do have! When you are constantly looking for more you will never be satisfied, even when you get the more that you are looking for!

If you want to enjoy, truly enjoy your life and experience it to the fullest you MUST learn to be grateful for what you have, but there’s a second part to that as well…instead of craving what you don’t.

We have a lot of acreage, and the lady we purchased the house from loved, I mean LOVED flower beds. It is not an exaggeration to say that we have thousands of square feet of flower beds around our house.

Now I call them flower beds, but you know what really grows great there…weeds! I have already sprayed the 3 month week killer twice in the last month. And they keep coming back. I’ve whacked those weeds down 3 different times. And they keep coming back. They are persistent, resilient, and downright invasive. The only way to keep them maintained and contained is to be constantly working on them.

Discontentment, jealousy of what others have and you don’t, and ingratitude are just like an invasive weed species! It is not a one and done treatment, it is only with a constant maintenance program that they can be contained and kept from choking out your joy.

There are 3 daily maintenance routines to keep the weeds of discontentment under control.

I remind myself that every good thing I have came from God. He is constant, consistent, even when it feels like he’s not giving us that which is good, we have confidence that it will work out for the good. If he’s been faithful in the past, he is faithful right now, and he’ll be faithful in the future. I do not need to fear or fret or freak out! (James 1:16-17)

I will not let what I want rob me of enjoying what I have. Is it wrong to want, NO! Absolutely not, in fact Jesus Christ himself tells us to pray for that which we need and want! So, what’s the trick to being able to look forward, to desire to move up, to improve your standing, but not sacrifice your joy in your current moment and situation? Paul says it’s contentment (Phillipians 4:11-3). Some people as they read this, separate the “I can do all things” from the “secret of being content”, but the secret to being content is that you can do all things through Christ!!!

Paul says, when I feel a need, a desire, a want…when I think I can’t or if I feel like I’m being shorted, I remember that I can do all things through Christ. That with Christ I have everything I need to fulfill the purpose he has for me in this moment!

Therefore, if I don’t have something one of two things is going on: Either Christ is in the process of providing what I need…or He is teaching me that I don’t need that thing right now, instead all I need is Him!

I will constantly celebrate what I’ve already been given. God is constantly forgiving your failures, healing your hurts, redeeming your mistakes, showering you with his love/compassion, fulfilling your wants/needs, and renewing your strength every day! The minute that we stop celebrating, praising, or talking about those things is the minute that ingratitude, discontentment, and regret begin to grow again. (Psalm 103:2-5)

Listen to the Full Message Here